32. SKYE ANDERTON, 37

RUBY OLIVE JEWELLERY, 2010

"We design fabulously fun jewellery and fashion accessories," says Anderton. "We're all about personality too, so each collection and each product we produce has a story that we tell.

"We're pretty passionate about creating community with our family of customers too, and we've now started incorporating them in the design process."

Ruby Olive Jewellery found 150 stockists in three years, but when the wholesale market started to drop Anderton put more focus on consumers and selling direct online.

She is now focusing on rolling out at major cultural institutions and art galleries in the US.

Social media has become an increasingly important part of the Ruby Olive business - further than simply posting Facebook and Instagram, Anderton engages with a small group of her influential fans to gain their feedback on different products.

"We talk to our customers a lot and get their involvement in the design process - we have started to play around with customer generated design through a 'Be The Designer' campaign and it has proven really successful," says Anderton.

"Customers love being a part of the process. We certainly want to expand this area and can see there is a market desire for it."

33. DEBORAH MORRISON, 36

PETCLOUD, 2014

TAKING our furry friends into the sharing economy, Deborah Morrison launched PetCloud after she was unable to book a pet stay over the busy season.

"When I did use an at-home boarding service, I had to wait for the paperwork to arrive in the post and then drive across town to meet a person I knew nothing about, whether they were insured, didn't know what they looked like or what qualifications they had," Morrison says.

"All of this made me think, 'surely I'm not the only one, this has to be online'."

PetCloud provides online background checks, as well as optional real-time GPS trackers during pet stays for protective parents. It's also the only pet-sitting business to be partnered with RSPCA across most states.

34. MOLLY DUNKLE, 27

DUNKLE AUTHENTIC, 2012

MOLLY Dunkle made her first lip balm at 12 years old and her beauty fixation hasn't lost its sheen.

The makeup artist uses plant-based ingredients to handcraft her own range of lipsticks, lip glosses and foundations under the moniker Dunkle Authentic.

"The fact that it's handcrafted means I'm very mindful about the ingredients that go into the products, so there's no way I could have ingredients that I didn't love," Dunkle says.

"That's been a big factor compared to when I worked for major makeup brands. You had no idea what the ingredients were and just used the products.

"It has that unique handcrafted feel. I blend the pigments and melt those in with the butters and waxes then hand pour it."

The micro-manufacturer names products after places she loves in Brisbane and her home country of the US.

35. SARAH BAKER, 32

SARAH JEAN, 2016

WHEN communications executive Sarah Baker struggled with the age-old plight of applying fake eye lashes for her sister's hens party, she started searching for a solution.

Finding nothing but YouTube tutorials on the market, she set out to create her own system. SARAH JEAN is the first lash glue that uses a mascara-style brush, along with a curved applicator to make it less fiddly.

"The traditional method is applying glue to the strip, whereas if you apply it to your real lashes as well it means the lashes stay on longer," Baker says.

"The glue is latex-free, water-soluble and anti-allergenic, so you remove the lashes by gently peeling off and because it's not an intense formula you don't tear out any of your real lashes."

Baker oversees production across four factories in Asia. SARAH JEAN is available online, as well as a number of Malouf Pharmacies.

ENTREPRENEURIAL UP-AND-COMERS

36. JO ELLICE-FLINT, MADAM REPUBLIC

ADVERTISING executive Jo Ellice-Flint took the plunge and launched Madam Republic in 2014, with plans to utilise her expertise in the agriculture industry.

Rather than box herself in, Ellice-Flint has since overseen marketing campaigns, website development and branding for everything from childcare to retail.

Madam Republic has doubled growth in the past year with its network of creatives completing work for clients while keeping overheads low.

37. TRUMAN PEACOCK, TRUBLUTINT

While working in the industry, Peacock found many operators to be dishonest and was inspired to establish a business built on integrity in 2009. Trublutint provides window tinting for houses, offices and vehicles, as well as vinyl wrapping.

He was rewarded for his efforts last year, when Trublutint was named Australia's Most Trusted Customer Service business at the Australian Trust Awards.

38. HOLLY TATTERSALL, WOMEN IN DIGITAL

ORIGINATING from a Brisbane-based meetup to an organisation with global reach, Holly Tattersall is poised to change the face of Australia's workforce with Women in Digital.

The organisation, which was officially launched earlier this year, facilitates mentoring and hosts events to drive the professional development of women in the digital industry.

Women in Digital has chapters in Melbourne, Sydney, Silicon Valley in the US, Tel Aviv in Israel, Toronto in Canada and plans for London, UK. Tattersall also collaborates with organisations like Girls Invent and Tech Girls Movement to encourage more female participation in the industry.

39. EMILY DE LA PENA, CODING KIDS

WITH jobs requiring high-level programming and software design skills on the rise, Emily de la Pena is on a mission to start them young.

She launched Coding Kids earlier this year to make digital literacy education available to children with classes in school, coding clubs, school holiday code camps and professional development for educators.

De la Pena developed a coding curriculum with five course levels aimed at primary school students. Once complete, the students present their projects in front of family members and the class.

40. KRISTAL BROWN & HELENA DUNCAN, THE HOLISTIC PROJECT

KRISTAL Brown and Helena Duncan both left their corporate careers to start families and pursue their own business ventures before joining forces in 2014.

The Holistic Project creates and hosts events, including its signature series Pursue Your Passion - aimed at women with creative or entrepreneurial career aspirations.

Brown and Duncan also offer business and creative services for startups through to large corporations.